The crisis rocking the Kaduna state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) deepens as a faction of the party has taken disciplinary measures against the state governor and two of his aides for alleged anti-party activities.
The faction is known as Kaduna Restoration Group also announced the relocation of the state secretariat of the party from Ali Akilu to Sambo Close.
Findings gathered that the Ali Akilu Road secretariat is being occupied by the Government House faction of the party.
Speaking at a conference in Kaduna on Thursday, Alhaji Shuaibu Danladi Wada insisted that he was the constitutionally recognised state acting chairman of the party and who belongs to the Restoration Group.
He said el-Rufai has been issued with a query for anti-party activities while the governor’s political adviser, Mallam Uba Sani, the commissioner for finance, Alhaji Abdu Kwari and the acting state secretary of the party, Yahaya Baba Pate were suspended for 18 months for similar offences.
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Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that APC in the state has been embroiled in controversy since it assumed power resulting in the emergence of three factions – the Restoration Group led by Alhaji Tijani Ramalan and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, the Government House faction and the APC-Akida faction led by Senator Shehu Sani.
According to Wada, the disciplinary action was taken after investigations and consultations between the state working committee and stakeholders. “We took some disciplinary measures after investigations.
“That is to say we followed the party constitution. The state working committee after due consultation with stakeholders and elders of the party, resolved to suspend Mallam Uba Sani, the commissioner for finance, Alhaji Abdu Kwari and the acting secretary of the party, Yahaya Baba Pate for 18 months” he said.
While, “His Excellency, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai has been queried and we are expecting him to answer the query within 48 hours.
“Failure to do that, the state working committee will seat down and deliberate. We queried Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai for his anti party activities and anti human activities. The letters would be delivered to these personalities today” (Thursday).
“Let me use this opportunity to urge the leadership of the party at all levels in the state to imbibe discipline and respect for the rule of law and rights of all party members without any form of discrimination or degradation and to also pursue the processes for the approaching March, 2018 congresses of the party” he said.
However in a swift reaction, the state government dismissed the suspension, saying it will not be swayed by the antics of drowning political traders.
The statement signed by Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to Governor Nasir el-Rufai declared that “no one will pay heed to the attention-seeking gambits of desperate politicians who have steadily been demystified”.
The statement warned that “rascally actions being undertaken by these traders in the hope of getting a lifeline from reconciliation moves will not be rewarded”.
According to Aruwan “The APC Government of Kaduna State has boldly lived up to the its manifesto commitments and principles to the people. In this work, it continues to enjoy the firm support of the APC State Executive which is united, and committed to the hard work of bringing sustainable change.
“The government had been made aware of the boastful and pompous claims of Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, that he will change the leadership of Kaduna State in 2019 by installing himself as Governor.
“The desperate Senator is seeking a lifeline, in the vain belief that ratcheting up rascally actions will bring him attention and relief from the mooted national reconciliation efforts.
“Senator Hunkuyi has further illegally created a faction, headquartered in his house, as a bargaining chip.
‘This Senator has failed to understand that you cannot create party executives at your whim. It is the party’s prerogative to consider appropriate responses to this breach of discipline. But as a government, we view these actions as the needless drama of political traders.
“Hunkuyi has on three previous elections failed to get himself elected as governor. Yet he flaunts false claims that it was him that got Malam Nasir el-Rufai elected in 2015.
“In 2015, it was God Almighty and the good people of Kaduna State that made Malam el-Rufai Governor and Hunkuyi a Senator. It appears that Hunkuyi has forgotten how his previous attempts to be Governor in 2003, 2007 and 2011 failed miserably. With the Almighty’s gracious help, his association with the el-Rufai brand helped get him elected as senator in 2015.
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